Tuesday, July 05, 2011

Art and Beauty Tuesday--Portrait of Lincoln

This painting is thought to be the earliest portrait of Abraham Lincoln. It was discovered in the home of Mildred Downing, who died in her 90's and left no heirs. Mildred's aunt Mattie Dee Todd, was the first cousin of Lincoln's children, only one of whom survived to adulthood, and Mildred had in her possession at the time of her death, trunks owned by Mary Todd Lincoln as well as a genealogy letter and other historical documents.

Miniatures were frequently painted upon a couple's engagement and it is believed that this is a portrait of Abraham Lincoln had painted for Mary Todd when they became engaged in 1842. The facial features, tilt of the head, and even the hair is decidedly Lincoln's.

2 comments:

very nice. i love history. it was always one of my favorite studies in school:) that little portrait should be in a museum. or, if you have a lincoln presidential library, it should be donated to it:) my brother was named after lincoln:)

"Slavery ended in medieval Europe only because the church extended its sacraments to all slaves and then managed to impose a ban on the enslavement of Christians (and of Jews). Within the context of medieval Europe, that prohibition was effectively a rule of universal abolition. "— Rodney Stark